Home › Words › C › celibatecelibate/ˈsɛləbət/celibate means not married.celibate is pronounced /ˈsɛləbət/.EtymologyProbably from the noun (“celibacy”) or from celibacy on the model of privacy/private, etc. Alternatively, from Latin caelebs (“single”) + -ate.adjNot married.Abstaining from sexual relations and pleasures.e.g.“Members of religious communities sometimes take vows to remain celibate.”nounOne who is not married, especially one who has taken a religious vow not to get married, usually because of being a member of a religious community.A celibate state; celibacy.verbTo practice celibacy.e.g.“However, be that as it may, Stason celebrated with the boys while Hessel celibated alone.” — 1941, Michigan Raw Review, page 34:Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.celibatist 81% match — Someone who lives unmarried. vs celibate →celibacy 79% match — Abstaining from marriage; the state of being unmarried. vs celibate →unwed 74% match — Not married. vs celibate →celibately 73% match — In a celibate way. vs celibate →celibatory 70% match — Synonym of celibate vs celibate →celibatarian 70% match — One who remains celibate. vs celibate →unwifed 66% match — Not married to a woman. vs celibate →agamist 65% match — An unmarried person celibate by choice. vs celibate →